States and Human Rights Organizations

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa says that Latin America needs its own regional human rights system, free of the colonial bonds imposed by the United States. And his reasoning is interesting.

“Cuando se trata de casos de la oposición se despachan inmediatamente, y cuando son a favor del gobierno no se despachan nunca”, repisó el mandatario ecuatoriano desde la sede de la Unasur en la Mitad del Mundo.

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In other words, he is complaining about only the opposition gets attention, and the state gets ignored.

States have a monopoly of power, and that's why human rights organizations keep such a keen eye on what they do to their own citizens. I wrote about this earlier this year with regard to criticism of NGOs. It all depends on where you sit. During the Cold War, the right complained about human rights organizations, saying they were biased. Now leftist presidents say the same.

It is disingenuous for the state to complain about how human rights activists don't side more with the state. People are the victims, not presidents.